All posts related to Beach Reading on Hamptons for Beach Reading.
Set in Paris, “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” shows the contract between a lonely middle-aged woman, and a just as isolated pre-adolescent practically suicidal little girl. What do the two have in common besides residing in the same apartment building? Well, one would think not much initially, but apparently enough to write a beautiful novel, if not a bit overly “French”. Paloma, who can be compared to a young female Holden Caulfield at times, is an extreme contrast to the 54 year old Madame Michel, but between the two, a powerful story, and an international best-seller, is created.
A chick-lit style novel written by a guy? And a former investment banker/journalist, at that? Well, there’s a first. James Collins captures every girl’s dream (and apparently some guys too - who knew?!) in Beginner’s Greek: A Novel, a story about one man’s goal to find true love on a cross-country flight… and doing it. Of course, it’s not that easy, and he loses her soon after meeting her, or her phone number at least. Years later, he finds her though, in the arms of his best friend, walking down the aisle (don’t worry, I’m not spoiling anything for you). More »
The Hamptons are full of parties, but nothing can really compare to the Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball, by Deborah Davis, or the man behind it for that matter. It seems unlikely that ever again will one individual be able to concoct such an elaborate social scheme to make his party go down in history. Right down to every last invitation (all 540 of them), Capote dangled them over the head of some of the biggest social heavy hitters back in 1966. More »
While some may argue nothing can beat a summer in the Hamptons, taking a break and escaping in Hemingway’s world in A Moveable Feast doesn’t seem like a bad idea either. His life in 1920’s Paris seemed like a vacation everyday, and while the party scene in the Hamptons may seem eventful to some, it seems dull in comparison to Hemingway’s scene. Travels to Spain, skiing in the Alps, and the company he kept in Paris - whether it be Gertrude Stein, F.Scott Fitzgerald, or Ezra Pound, these were only a few of the people he caroused with, drank with, boxed with and dined with. More »
As bizarre as it is enjoyable, this non-fiction book, High Rise Low Down, about New York City’s most fabulous apartment buildings and what people go through to obtain them, will resound with the city’s natives while baffling it’s transplants. Afterall, where else will movie stars and moguls alike battle it out for an apartment to the point of recommendation letters, interviews, and bribes just to have a co-op board blackball them? Rejection isn’t pretty, and neither are some of the accounts in this book. Others will have you scratching your head and saying “really?”, because they’re just too good to be true - but they are. More »
The fact that The Trouble Boy, by Tom Dolby, has been compared to a “dark and gritty, gay Sex & the City” didn’t surprise, as the story does take place around one main character, a gay “social” writer and his friends, living in New York City, going to the most popular places. An accurate comparison pretty much ends there. Entirely. Even though the majority of the critical hype around this book was based upon it’s focus on the magnitude of gay characters, its extremely relatable to a wide span of people. Toby Griffin, fresh out of college, moved to New York City, and hit the ground running at a time when anything seems possible… More »
Truman Capote is revered as a literary genius by many, and Music For Chameleons is no exception to the rule. While he’s controversial in the sense that people question the truth of his writing, regardless, the man knows how to tell a story. The book is comprised of several short stories and one non-fiction story, entitled “Handcarved Coffins“, about his investigation of a murder case in Kansas. Even if you aren’t one for murder mysteries and a twist on detective work, you still won’t be disappointed… More »
In honor of Candace Bushnell gracing us with her presence this past weekend at the 5th Annual Author’s Night at Easthampton Library, we thought it was about time we brought you Four Blondes as book of the day. Her sophomore novel to Sex & the City, we realize this may be tried and true by many New York City gals by now. Regardless, the story of model-cum-socialite-cum-?, Janey Wilcox is so over the top and Hamptons relevant we can’t finish the summer out without recommending it as a beach read… More »
A book that has topped many “beach read” lists in it’s day, Valley Of The Dolls is a classic. And while it may sound like a bunch of fluff to those who haven’t read it (are there people who live in New York City still who haven’t read Valley Of The Dolls?) - sex, scandal, and the ever popular ascent of social climbing - there’s more substance there than many of the typical weekend reading materials that are on the shelves today. Probably why after over half a century this book is still going strong - and why we recommend you get your hands on it immediately if you haven’t yet… or even if you already have. More »
Want some time off from Hamptons living? And really get away from it all? We’re not recommending you become a total recluse, but if you need a quick and easy break, you may be able to find it in Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. The story follows the lives of three characters through a particularly heated summer in Appalachia - a long cry from the beaches of the Hamptons. The novel is filled with the beautiful writing the author is known for with enivronmental and political issues trickling in along the way. More »
Now while the Hamptons may not be, say, Nantucket, and night life here is starting to be overrun with flashy clubs and gimmicky restaurants a lot of the time, we still have faith that here there remains intimate dinner parties and sunny days at the beach, casual lunch dates, and the perfect cocktail. Amongst these, there is still a preppy subculture here, and those that would truly appreciate some of the drink concoctions that are in Tipsy in Madras, a rare and out of print recipe book about preppy 80s drinks with stories behind them… More »
Set in Paris, “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” shows the contract between a lonely middle-aged woman, and a just as isolated pre-adolescent practically suicidal little girl. What do the two have in common besides residing in the same apartment building? Well, one would think not much initially, but apparently enough to write a beautiful novel, if not a bit overly “French”. Paloma, who can be compared to a young female Holden Caulfield at times, is an extreme contrast to the 54 year old Madame Michel, but between the two, a powerful story, and an international best-seller, is created.
A chick-lit style novel written by a guy? And a former investment banker/journalist, at that? Well, there’s a first. James Collins captures every girl’s dream (and apparently some guys too - who knew?!) in Beginner’s Greek: A Novel, a story about one man’s goal to find true love on a cross-country flight… and doing it. Of course, it’s not that easy, and he loses her soon after meeting her, or her phone number at least. Years later, he finds her though, in the arms of his best friend, walking down the aisle (don’t worry, I’m not spoiling anything for you). More »
The Hamptons are full of parties, but nothing can really compare to the Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball, by Deborah Davis, or the man behind it for that matter. It seems unlikely that ever again will one individual be able to concoct such an elaborate social scheme to make his party go down in history. Right down to every last invitation (all 540 of them), Capote dangled them over the head of some of the biggest social heavy hitters back in 1966. More »
While some may argue nothing can beat a summer in the Hamptons, taking a break and escaping in Hemingway’s world in A Moveable Feast doesn’t seem like a bad idea either. His life in 1920’s Paris seemed like a vacation everyday, and while the party scene in the Hamptons may seem eventful to some, it seems dull in comparison to Hemingway’s scene. Travels to Spain, skiing in the Alps, and the company he kept in Paris - whether it be Gertrude Stein, F.Scott Fitzgerald, or Ezra Pound, these were only a few of the people he caroused with, drank with, boxed with and dined with. More »
As bizarre as it is enjoyable, this non-fiction book, High Rise Low Down, about New York City’s most fabulous apartment buildings and what people go through to obtain them, will resound with the city’s natives while baffling it’s transplants. Afterall, where else will movie stars and moguls alike battle it out for an apartment to the point of recommendation letters, interviews, and bribes just to have a co-op board blackball them? Rejection isn’t pretty, and neither are some of the accounts in this book. Others will have you scratching your head and saying “really?”, because they’re just too good to be true - but they are. More »
The fact that The Trouble Boy, by Tom Dolby, has been compared to a “dark and gritty, gay Sex & the City” didn’t surprise, as the story does take place around one main character, a gay “social” writer and his friends, living in New York City, going to the most popular places. An accurate comparison pretty much ends there. Entirely. Even though the majority of the critical hype around this book was based upon it’s focus on the magnitude of gay characters, its extremely relatable to a wide span of people. Toby Griffin, fresh out of college, moved to New York City, and hit the ground running at a time when anything seems possible… More »
Truman Capote is revered as a literary genius by many, and Music For Chameleons is no exception to the rule. While he’s controversial in the sense that people question the truth of his writing, regardless, the man knows how to tell a story. The book is comprised of several short stories and one non-fiction story, entitled “Handcarved Coffins“, about his investigation of a murder case in Kansas. Even if you aren’t one for murder mysteries and a twist on detective work, you still won’t be disappointed… More »
In honor of Candace Bushnell gracing us with her presence this past weekend at the 5th Annual Author’s Night at Easthampton Library, we thought it was about time we brought you Four Blondes as book of the day. Her sophomore novel to Sex & the City, we realize this may be tried and true by many New York City gals by now. Regardless, the story of model-cum-socialite-cum-?, Janey Wilcox is so over the top and Hamptons relevant we can’t finish the summer out without recommending it as a beach read… More »
A book that has topped many “beach read” lists in it’s day, Valley Of The Dolls is a classic. And while it may sound like a bunch of fluff to those who haven’t read it (are there people who live in New York City still who haven’t read Valley Of The Dolls?) - sex, scandal, and the ever popular ascent of social climbing - there’s more substance there than many of the typical weekend reading materials that are on the shelves today. Probably why after over half a century this book is still going strong - and why we recommend you get your hands on it immediately if you haven’t yet… or even if you already have. More »
Want some time off from Hamptons living? And really get away from it all? We’re not recommending you become a total recluse, but if you need a quick and easy break, you may be able to find it in Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. The story follows the lives of three characters through a particularly heated summer in Appalachia - a long cry from the beaches of the Hamptons. The novel is filled with the beautiful writing the author is known for with enivronmental and political issues trickling in along the way. More »
Now while the Hamptons may not be, say, Nantucket, and night life here is starting to be overrun with flashy clubs and gimmicky restaurants a lot of the time, we still have faith that here there remains intimate dinner parties and sunny days at the beach, casual lunch dates, and the perfect cocktail. Amongst these, there is still a preppy subculture here, and those that would truly appreciate some of the drink concoctions that are in Tipsy in Madras, a rare and out of print recipe book about preppy 80s drinks with stories behind them… More »
